在明治維新後，日本人為尋求更多的生存空間與生存資源開始向外拓展。中國亦是其拓展目標之一。因此，日人對於中國事情多予以關心，以為對外政策之因應。除了對政局的分析外，日人如何運用這些情報，以達到經濟上或實業上之目的，則是值得重視的課題。有不少日本人士，在中國從事商業活動，並對其情況進行調查，以提供日本各界等作為中國政策的參考。其中一位即為白岩龍平。本研究則是以其為中心，試圖探討日人在清末時期的調查活動，並以湖南地區為例，說明其實際調查的狀況。白岩本人又是如何以湖南為第一步，進而拓展他在中國的事業呢？通過本文的陳述中，可以看到在「日清提攜論」的理念驅使下，許多人亦致力在中國從事各種活動，以為中、日兩國之間的友好關係而努力。而隨著馬關條約的簽訂，日本商人在中國內陸自由進行商業活動。因此，對中國內地情況的掌握，有助於進行商業活動的準備。以白岩龍平而言，他在湖南進行諸多探險調查活動，其目的除為滿足自我對中國的好奇以外，亦為日本企業輪船的航線進行準備。而在調查的過程中，白岩逐漸掌握湖南地區的各種狀況。這亦讓其成為研究湖南地區的專家。在日本國內亦成為支那問題之專家，並在對中國事務上有其影響力。

After the Meiji Restoration, Japan started her overseas expansion in order to seek more living space and living resources. The Chinese mainland was one of her goals. For this reason, the Japanese paid much attention to things happened in China and pursued Japan’s foreign policy towards China. How the information was used to achieve economic or industrial purposes is a subject worthy of attention. A number of Japanese people engaged in commercial activities in China. They also conducted survey there to provide Japan as a reference for policy-making. By focusing on the study of Ryuhei Shiraiwa my paper explores investigative activities of the Japanese in late Qing Hunan. How did Ryuhei Shiraiwa take Hunan as his first step and, furthermore, expand his business in China? This paper finds that many Japanese people were driven by the concept of “Sino-Japanese Cooperation” and engaged in a variety of activities to work for amicable relations between China and Japan. With the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, Japanese businessmen carried freely on commercial activities in interior China. Therefore, the grasp of the situation of interior China was helpful to the preparation of their commercial activities. Ryuhei Shiraiwa conducted many exploration and survey activities in Hunan. He not only gratified his curiosity for China but made preparation for future shipping routes. In the course of investigation, Ryuhei Shiraiwa gradually understood situations in Hunan . Thus, he became an expert on Hunan. Later, he was recognized as an influential China expert in Japan.